7 Best Countries to Open an Offshore Bank Account

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Offshore Bank Accounts are a good way of diversifying your investments and achieve global mobility. Of course, it helps you in tax savings to an extent.

There is always a talk in the town that Offshore Bank Accounts are involved in money laundering, but the fact is Offshore Banking is a very effective financial tool in investing your wealth to the international markets for better returns and mobility of funds.

It is a 100 % legal activity in almost all countries in the world. There are world famous banks like the Barclays, Lloyds and the Swiss banks that offer Offshore Banking facilities to its investors across the world.

7 Popular destinations in the world for Opening Offshore Bank Account

Let’s explore a few of top Offshore Banking options available for organizations and High Net Worth Individuals to invest their funds and receive a better return than their home country.

1. UAE

UAE is one of the prominent places for Offshore Bank Account due to its economic stability and availability of world-class banking facilities. Banks in UAE will open bank accounts in less than 4 days’ time provided you submit the right documents.

Setting up a business is relatively easy in the UAE as there are more than 40 Freezones that offer world-class infrastructure, easy registration process and 100% foreign ownership.

2. Georgia

Georgia is an ideal location for Offshore banking due to its political stability, tourist economy, and relaxed visa norms. Georgia offers the investors privacy and confidentiality and is not bound by any international organization for information sharing of banking records. Hence, it remains an investor favorite destination.

Also, the ease of opening a personal bank account in Georgia for a non-resident is very easy when compared to popular financial centers like Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.

3. Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands is one of the prominent locations of Offshore Banking. The Cayman Islands is a tax haven for its investors and have confidentiality clauses that protect the privacy of investors. Hence is a popular choice for investors.

It is recognized as one of the top 10 financial centers of the world and is being backed up by a strong regulatory framework for their offshore banking services.

4. Switzerland

The Swiss Banks are one of the most reputed Offshore Banking destinations in the world. It offers confidentiality to clients. It is considered the safest possible investments due to the financially stable economic system in the country.

The Swiss financial regulations require all banks to maintain a minimum capital level to ensure that all clients are paid in full amount for their holdings in case of any bank liquidation.

5. Singapore

Singapore is a protected financial zone. The stable economic and financial conditions are making it a stable place. One of the major advantage for the investors here is the availability of highly qualified investment and financial managers in the world to invest the funds profitably to various legit funds the world to earn better results.

In addition to the connectivity to major financial centers worldwide, the investors can enhance their investment portfolio through the assistance of the financial experts available in the market.

6. Germany

Germany is widely considered one of the safest places to save your investments. Financial stability and the safety protocols that German banks have to offer makes it a secure destination for investments.

The services extended by the German Banks are of top-class when compared with other countries. The bank account opening is relatively easy provided the paperwork is done right and also there is a low account opening cost when compared with others.

7. Belize

The Banks in Belize offers some of the best protection and investment perks in the offshore financial industry. The Banks are required to maintain a minimum liquidity ratio of 24%, interest rates average around 13% and the account can be managed online (Rates might vary – not exact figures)

Key elements to look for while opening an Offshore Bank Account?

For many business entities and high net individuals residing in the UAE, an Offshore Bank Account will be a definite choice to diversify their investment portfolio.

The key thing to be considered when choosing your bank is to find a financial establishment that offers a tailor-made service based on your banking requirements. To name a few there are plenty of international banks operating in the UAE such as the Barclay, Lloyds Bank, HSBC, etc.

Most of High Net Individuals (HNIs) and Organisations look for a 24-hour customer services support, and often with having an account in a large international bank it is a challenge to get a relationship manager exclusively for yourself to manage your transactions.

So the lesser known ones, but credible in term of support, clientele, regulations and privacy protection is an ideal choice for receiving improved customer service and initiating banking transactions more securely.

Most of the organizations for the ease of coordination with their Offshore Banks partner with a financial advisory firm. Never fall for any dubious financial advisories, do a thorough background check, fix up meetings, check their authenticity and take a wise decision.

Also, the investors must always look for the clauses of maintaining a minimum balance as the charge levied on default would be often very high compared to local bank accounts. If Offshore Banking is for a short term investment have clarity on the lock-in period for the bonds and fixed deposits, as the release of funds before maturity would attract charges or loss of the interest amount.

Why Offshore Banking is a popular investment tool in the UAE?

The Offshore Banking is not for evading tax or to hide your wealth for HNIs, it is a very practical way of achieving international financial mobility for expats who are frequent travelers across the globe for various business meeting and tours.

The advantage of Offshore Banking is the wealth could be managed in multiple currencies using the same bank account and not opening multiple bank accounts in several different countries when required.

The Offshore Banking facility also allows to setup basic current account to handle everyday money, including salary transfers, utility payments and to avail other services like checkbook and debit card.

The simplest option to set up Offshore Bank Account is through your domestic bank if they offer the service. It is to be noted that most of the Offshore Banks charge for transfer to external banks and the interest rates would fluctuate as per global interest rates. The advantage with an Offshore Bank Account is savings in the dollar, pound or any other international currencies as required.

The Offshore Bank Account will not be complying to local laws and is governed by the Offshore jurisdiction and Banking Laws of the particular country where the account is set up. Contact us here